Choosing a Good Wine for Thanksgiving: Top Recommendations From Trattore Farms
Food. Family. Fine wine.
Every Thanksgiving gathering has its own unique traditions — and at Trattore Farms, we believe wine should be one of the most memorable.
But with options like Zinfandel, Viognier, Rosé, and Cabernet Sauvignon, how do you choose a good wine for Thanksgiving dinner?
The wine experts at Trattore Farms have assembled their top recommendations for Thanksgiving wines, including pairings of wines and foods, so you can experience the Trattore tradition while creating lasting holiday memories.
What Kind of Wine Goes With Thanksgiving?
Not surprisingly, the answer to this question is… it depends. The key to choosing a good wine for Thanksgiving dinner is considering:
- The menu
- The type of wine you prefer
- Your budget
- Etc.
Trattore Farms Wine Recommendations for Any Thanksgiving Menu
While it’s commonly the centerpiece of the meal, turkey isn’t the only food served at Thanksgiving. Your meal might include:
- Other meat options such as ham or beef
- Vegetables like sweet potatoes, green beans, and corn
- Desserts such as pumpkin pie, apple pie, and cheesecake
If you’re perusing good wines for Thanksgiving dinner, look no further than Trattore Farms.
Nestled in the heart of Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, Trattore Farms is renowned for offering the best wine in one of California’s premier wine regions.
Trattore Farms Wine Selections for Turkey
Traditionally, Pinot Noir is the fine wine lover’s top choice for a Thanksgiving meal, due in part to the grape’s prestigious pedigree tracing back to Burgundy, France.
Aged in French oak barrels, this 100% Pinot Noir varietal showcases a harmonious blend of:
- Black cherry
- Pomegranate
- Vanilla; and
- Licorice spice
This vintage wine is impeccably farmed in the highly-regarded Russian River Valley by our dear friend Lee Martinelli and boasts full-flavored maturity, bright fruit, and perfect balance.
Earthy and tannic, our 2022 Russian River Pinot Noir pairs perfectly with turkey as well as other game.
Our 2021 Alder Springs Viognier is another excellent accompaniment to a turkey dinner and is beloved for its perfumed aroma of a bouquet of flavors that include:
- Peach
- Tangerine
- Honeysuckle
- Pear
- Pineapple; and
- Guava
From Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino County, our Appellation Series Viognier represents the spectacular pristine, rugged, and remote terroir it hails from. The vines in this cooler climate vineyard thrive in excellent, low-vigor soils on steep, terraced hillsides.
This wine’s balanced, beautiful minerality and bright acidity make it a love choice for just about any food, and its aromatic profile means 2021 Alder Springs Viognier can be enjoyed without food.
Another exceptionally good red wine for Thanksgiving is our 2021 Late Harvest Zinfandel. Its fruity profile and body allow it to pair beautifully with both dark and light turkey.
Our first-ever Late Harvest Zinfandel, this wine is made from grapes left on the vine even after reaching their peak ripeness. As grapes are left hanging, they naturally dehydrate and become sweeter, with a more concentrated sugar content.
Nurtured by our warm summer days and cool evenings, our Estate Zinfandel bloom into naturally sweet, rich, full-berry characteristics. The grapes are picked at sunrise, whole-cluster sorted, and cold fermented to create lusciously fruity aromatics.
Trattore Farms Wine Selections for Ham
Expressive, earthy, and elegant, our 2022 Alder Springs Grenache is a crowning touch to your Thanksgiving ham.
This bright wine hails from Alder Springs Vineyard, located 12 miles from the Pacific coast in Mendocino County. The area’s combination of coastal influence, altitude, excellent soils, and steep slopes make it the perfect location for growing wine grapes.
2022 brought with it a cool spring and summer, ending with a heat spike in August that finished ripening the grapes. The harvest was much later than normal, but the long growing cycle produced exceptional fruit.
As you indulge in our 2022 Alder Springs Grenache, you’ll savor the notes of:
- Chokecherry
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Red licorice; and
- Cola
Treat your Thanksgiving guests to one of our most popular red wine blends — 2021 Estate Tractor Red.
This unique combination, specially created for Tractor Red, combines Zinfandel, Grenache, and Mourvèdre wines.
Enhance your Thanksgiving ham with this blend’s:
- Bright cherry nose
- Beautifully balanced palate of cedar and bright and dark berries; and
- Hints of leather and cocoa on the finish
The same growing season that blessed us with our 2022 Alder Springs Grenache, gave us our equally amazing 2022 Estate Proprietor’s Reserve.
Our Estate Vineyard perfectly captures the setting sun, providing the optimal ripening conditions. This wine brings together everything Trattore Farms has to offer, including great terroir, exquisite fruit flavors, meticulous winemaking, and a long family history of land stewardship and farming tradition.
Your Thanksgiving ham will taste its best when paired with 2022 Estate Proprietor’s Reserve’s seductive bright flavors of:
- Strawberry
- Black cherry
- Pomegranate
- Candied, dark fruit
- Earth; and
- Pepper
Trattore Farms Wine Selections for Beef
Complement any beef entrée with the gold medal winner of the 2024 Experience Rosé Wine Competition — Trattore Farm’s 2023 Estate Michelle’s Rosé.
This award-winning Rosé became a part of the Trattore repertoire when Michelle, our former GM, challenged Tim to produce one. She bet her wages on pink wine, and the gamble paid off beyond our wildest expectations. The release of that first Rosé in 2010 resulted in the New York International Rosé of the Year. The tradition continues today in Michelle’s honor; the bottle bears her name.
Our 2023 Michelle’s Grenache Rosé is a crisp and refreshing accompaniment to beef, with:
- A delicious nose of rhubarb and strawberry
- Hints of white peach, citrus, and crisp apple; and
- Bright acidity
Enjoy your roast beef or brisket with this fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon that boasts:
- A nose that reveals lavender and cassis
- Fresh flavors of blackberry and plum;
- A pleasing finish of crushed black pepper and black currant
Another winner from the renowned 2022 growing season, our 2022 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon hails from Holmes Vineyard. This valley-floor vineyard’s volcanic, loamy, rocky soil enhances the elegant acid structure and mineral components of the wine’s complexity.
Pair your Thanksgiving beef dish with our 2022 Estate Gratitude, the wine that earned 90 pts + Gold at the Sommelier Challenge 2024.
Several of our Estate Vineyards capture the setting sun, providing optimal conditions for enhanced ripening. Our 2022 Estate Gratitude wine embodies the heart and soul of Trattore Farms — a long family history of land stewardship and farming tradition, great terroir, exquisite fruit flavors, and meticulous winemaking.
This delicious wine embodies:
- A nose of red delicious apple, dusty rose, and cherry
- A delightful sweet and tart pomegranate flavor
- Subtle vanilla oak; and
- Silky fine tannins
Trattore Farms Wine Selection for Thanksgiving Vegetables
2021 had limited rainfall during the growing season, which produced a slightly lighter crop but provided intense, concentrated flavor and color to the wines. The consistent summer weather helped maintain fruit acidity for brightness and balance, which brought about our 2021 Estate Roussanne — the perfect choice for a cornucopia of Thanksgiving vegetables.
This full-bodied Rhône white wine embodies:
- Tropical notes of peach, pineapple, honeydew melon and guava
- Candied ginger; and
- A hazelnut finish
Versatile and oh-so-smooth, this white is well-received on any occasion.
Trattore Farms Wine Selection for Thanksgiving Desserts
Another particularly good wine for Thanksgiving desserts is our beautiful fruit-forward Rhône White Blend.
Trattore Farms is home to various Rhône white grapes that thrive in our unique Mediterranean climate. The blending of Marsanne and Roussanne produces a captivating wine that highlights each grape’s contribution.
Roussanne provides rich stone fruit notes, while Marsanne’s tropical profile and alluring mouthfeel make our mR a wine for all seasons.
Write Your Own Thanksgiving Story With Award-Winning Wines From Trattore Farms
At Trattore Farms, every glass tells a story of tradition, quality, and the vibrant spirit of Dry Creek Valley’s winemaking legacy.
In the charming and historic Sonoma County town of Geyserville, wineries take center stage. Trattore Farms stands out as the crown jewel of Geyserville wine tasting, with a stunning 360-degree valley view and a diverse array of award-winning wines and olive oils.
Experience the perfect wine for your Thanksgiving meal — Trattore Farms.